The End of the World
by solesurvivor2287
Summary: My playthrough of Fallout 4, featuring my sole survivor, Isabelle. The story will focus on more or less the main quest of the game, and eventually lead to a romance between her and a certain Paladin in the Brotherhood of Steel. I hope you enjoy it! Title is based off of the song in game by Skeeter Davis, aka my favorite and most fitting song in the game. Rated T for now
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I wanted to write a story of my play through on Fallout 4. I also wanted to explore the relationship between my SS and Paladin Danse, because come on! Just look at him! :) I do want to focus on the story too, but I figure that most of you reading this will have already played the game, so you probably don't want to relive most of it. I hope this is not a problem!**

 **Anyways, this will begin several months after my SS, Isabelle, has left the vault. She's only been helping the Minutemen by focusing on rebuilding Sanctuary Hills and other settlements. She hasn't gotten many clues about where her son, Shaun, went…so she's been coping with the idea that she may never find out what ever happened to him. And so we begin!**

 **This story will also probably switch from first person to third person occasionally, since I'm more comfortable with first person, ha. It's been a while since I've written, so please forgive me if I'm rusty.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout or its characters.**

* * *

To say that this new world she was thrown in was a rude awakening would have been the understatement of the year. Or however long it had be since she'd been frozen for the first time. Over 200 years, was it?

It had only be 6 months since she'd woken up again, alone, as the sole survivor of Vault 111. She remembered when her cryo pod opened again. She remembered the deafening silence. She remembered her heart nearly pounding out of her chest once she'd realized she was the only one left. Of all the people to survive, why her? She was only a law graduate and housewife before all of what happened, it just made no sense to her. How the hell was she supposed to survive this new world? There wasn't a doubt that she would be eaten alive out there.

Soon after she first woke up, Isabelle scrounged for as many food and supplies as she could to hold her over in the Vault. But that only lasted her a week, she knew she had to leave soon and that scared the hell out of her. She hardly had any experience with survival, aside from some tidbits her late husband shared with her from time to time, often eager to teach her some things he knew from his military experience. She'd only held a gun a handful of times in her life, again only when her husband encouraged her to learn.

Before she left to start her search for her missing son, she returned back to her husband's cryo pod. _How many years has it been?_ She thought to herself, before opening the pod quietly.

"I'll find who did this to you…I'll find who took our baby boy…" she reached out to slip off Nate's wedding ring and put it in her pocket, "I promise."

* * *

"Morning, Preston," I smiled as I scooted over to make room for him at the dining table. "Any news on any settlements?"

He shook his head and returned a smile, Preston Garvey was his name, and he was one of the first people I met after leaving the vault. He liked to call me General, after I helped them rebuilt the main settlement in Sanctuary Hills….in my old home. That was still something to get used to. It was strange being the new leader of the Minutemen, after all, I hardly had any experience leading anyone or anything before the war…

He soon became a good and close friend. We usually would enjoy breakfast prepared by Codsworth every morning when we had the time to discuss any settlements that needed help, or any tasks that would need to be done around everyone's new home. "No news so far, General…" he paused, "how are you feeling?" He looked at me curiously, sure he tended to ask how I was doing every so often out of courtesy, but this time felt a little different.

I froze at the question. One of the main reasons I enjoyed his company was that he didn't ask too many questions. He knew I was a rather private person, while I did like to talk to the other settlers and occasionally Mama Murphy when she wasn't too drugged up, I spent a lot of time alone - and not in my old home. No, I just couldn't stay there. I already knew he was curious, shit it makes sense that he would want to know more about me considering I was the new leader of the Minutemen. But it still, just felt so soon. Too soon to talk about it.

"I'm fine…" I gave a small smile to reassure him, even though I was lying. I'm still not used to this new world, hell would I ever be? I don't even remember when that last time I got a good night's sleep was…

He cleared his throat, and he was obviously concerned. Preston rested a gentle hand on my shoulder, "Look, Isabelle…I know you're a private person. But I want you to know that I'm here if you need to talk…about anything." He gave my shoulder and gentle squeeze, and continued to finish his breakfast.

I nodded my head in response, I appreciated the gesture but I was never really much of a talker. Well, that and I just didn't really know where to start. I know I shouldn't leave him in the dark too long, as I considered him a good friend.

He already knew that I'd been frozen in Vault 111, he knew that I saw the world before it turned to shit. He knew I was looking for _someone_. I didn't tell him who, I didn't tell anyone who. I know I should, it can probably only help. But how can I explain to someone how I failed as a parent? As a wife? How I failed to protect my beautiful husband Nate and our baby boy Shaun?

I choked back a sob, hoping he didn't hear it. I sighed and shook my head, no, no, not here. Wait until later, when you're alone. This is not his business. This is your responsibility, it's _your_ son. My shoulders shook as I started crying more, which quickly turned into more fucking sobs. "I'm sorry, Preston-" I choked out quietly and wiped the tears from my eyes, "It's just one of those days..." One of those very long days. One of those days where it felt that no matter what I did or didn't do, it wouldn't make a difference. One of those days where it felt like the wrong person was shot 10 years ago.

It wouldn't have been the first time I cried around him, but this time he could tell it was different.

I ran my fingers through my hair and looked at him, he sat there patiently, waiting for me to go on. He was such a good friend. "Remember when I told you I was looking for someone?"

He nodded quietly and he lowered his voice, since most of the other settlers didn't know I was looking for anyone in the first place, "Yeah, I do. Is there anything I could do help?"

"No, and that's what hurts. My baby…my baby boy Shaun," it was my first time talking about it, "my boy Shaun was taken away from me. He's out there…somewhere, and I'm just here waiting for another day to pass. What kind of mother am I? I've been out here for almost six months and I'm not any closer to knowing where he is…"

He pulled me into a soft side hug and rested my head on his shoulder, "I should have said this earlier. But I'm just-" I paused to regain my composure, "I'm just still getting used to it. It feels like it just happened yesterday. But it happened 10 years ago. My baby was taken from me and my husband was murdered…and I don't know what I can do about it."

Preston continued to listen, something I appreciated a lot, seeing as it was really hard for me to open like this to him. It was a side of me I didn't like showing a lot of people. He reassured me that he would do whatever he could to help me find Shaun, and use whatever resources he could use to help me. He even recommended that I try talking to other travelers, settlers, and traders to get a better idea of where to start looking. I was reluctant, but eventually I agreed. He was right. I wasn't going to find my baby boy by just sitting here sulking.

I needed to learn my way around the Commonwealth, I needed to learn how to get better with a gun, how to set up camps and hold my own out in the wastes. It wasn't going to be easy, but I needed to get my shit together if I was going to find the bastards who took my son.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hope you enjoy! Our Sole Survivor Isabelle is finally leaving Sanctuary Hills, now about 7 after first leaving the vault. Let's see what happens when she starts the journey to find her son Shaun…**

* * *

She'd traveled the next couple weeks to other settlements, working almost night and day to make sure the settlers were well protected and had everything they needed. She couldn't call the Commonwealth her new home yet, but she had to admit that she was growing a little more used to it, especially since Preston showed her how to become a better shot, among other things like how to cook or set up camp.

Nights were still rough, but she found it easier to sleep lately. In her travels, she became a little more open with others, and would mention that she was looking for her son. Most offered condolences, though few offered valuable information. However, of the people who gave her advice, they all mentioned a city in the Fens area, a city called "Diamond City".

Isabelle had heard of the city so many times it was hard to continue keeping track anymore, but she knew it was somewhere she needed to make her way to if she wanted to get a start on looking for her son.

When she told Preston that she was starting her journey to Diamond City, he nearly begged for her to allow him to join her. "No, Preston – you can't come with me." She knew he wanted to join her to fulfill his promise of helping her anyway he could, but the settlers in and around Sanctuary Hills needed a leader while she was away. "I'm sorry, but these people need someone to look up to while I'm looking for my son. While I'm gone, you're going to have to be in command."

He accepted it without much of a fight, "I understand…" He paused before handing her a laser musket and adding, "You know where to find me if you need anything."

She stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug, "Thank you, for everything." Once they pulled apart, she gave a smile as reassurance, "You know I'll come back. I always do."

He chuckled, it'd only been a couple months since they'd first met but she changed quite a bit in that time. When he first met her, he remembered a scared and curious small woman. Now, she seemed a little more hardened, but he could still see the hurt in her eyes when she thought about her husband and son. But he had faith in her, he knew that she could only get stronger from then on out – she needed to be if she was going to find her son.

* * *

Dogmeat whimpered at her feet as she got her weapons and supplies ready. She had enough ammo, her two favorite guns, a modified 10mm handgun that Sturges fixed up for her, and the laser musket Preston gave to her. She also kept a small knife in the pocket of her right thigh, it probably wouldn't do much against a drugged up raider with a pipe pistol, but it didn't hurt to have.

She kneeled down to her dog and scratched behind his ears before pulling him close, "What's the matter boy?" He lay down and whimpered some more, she knew that he was aware she was leaving to Diamond City – and alone. The little furry companion had grown on her so much since leaving the Vault, and the thought of something happening to him because of her scared the hell out of her. She couldn't take that risk, and even if it meant he would be whimpering the whole night, or the whole time she would be away.

"I know, Dogmeat…I know," she let him lie on her bed so he could watch her pack her supplies, "I'll be back though, I want you to come with me but I can't see you get hurt." Isabelle couldn't help but feel a little crazy for talking to a dog, but she found comfort in Dogmeat – even though she considered herself more as a cat person before the war. She smiled as she remembered the first time she met the dog, at the Red Rocket Truck Stop. This was right before she found the remnants of the Minutemen in Concord, she remembered how happy he was to see her, and how quick he was to protect her.

Dogmeat was her favorite companion to bring out on her small adventures, but Isabelle, again, wasn't sure of what lied ahead on the road to Diamond City.

Isabelle continued packing, making sure she had enough food to last her a couple days before she would have to start cooking for herself. Luckily, (unluckily to her as she still hadn't gotten used to the taste of squirrel or iguana bits) she quickly learned some recipes to make the wasteland food a little more edible. She wasn't used to the small taste of radiation in pretty much anything, but it didn't bother her as much as it used to.

Once she felt satisfied with her bag, she set out to start her journey. She promised the settlers, especially Preston, that she would make it back in one piece. Diamond City was a few days away on foot, as Preston liked to remind her, but she assured him that she could take care of herself.

* * *

It'd been about 3 days since I left Sanctuary Hills, the road so far hadn't been too bad. Besides the occasional raider or feral ghoul, I was surprised at how smooth it'd been so far. Not that it means that I was used to this shithole, but I felt a lot better now than I did when I first left the vault. And now I had some better armor to protect me from most other things.

I had about another day to get to Diamond City before I heard the distress call on my pip boy. One minute I was listening to the radio and all of a sudden I couldn't make out what the hell was happening. Most of it came out as static, but after smacking the thing a couple of times, the message was slowly coming more together.

"Pinned down…..feral ghouls…..supplies low….Cambridge Police Station"

The message cut in and out, with the gaps filling with static. I tried to make out as much as I could from the distress call, but it was pretty hard to. Fortunately the message kept repeating on a loop, so it was easy to pick out where I needed to go. I checked the map on my pip boy, the police station wasn't too far out of the way, any other time I probably would have kept going. I don't know if the people who need help are still even there, it could be a trap, or it could be nothing. But shit, since it wasn't too far out of the way, I may as well check it out.

When I finally got to the police station, it looked like I just got there in time. I suppose my timing has always been impeccable, at least according to Preston. I saw a large man, in some weird looking tank armor that looked oddly familiar. Not only did I see that, but a small group of feral ghouls surrounding the front of the station. I took cover quickly, peeking out to get a count of how many there were. Once I found my target, the ghoul closest to the tank guy, I took aim and fired.

It was an easy shot, and I took down the ghoul quickly. Unfortunately, there were still a handful more to take care of. I shot the next one to his right and ducked back into cover before he could see, and took out a third one that was making its way to the wounded man by the front door of the station.

I quickly ran to the next car, keeping my head low so that I wouldn't accidentally lose it in this gunfight. When I peeked over to reassess, I saw a ghoul quickly coming my way.

It lunged at me before I could reload and knocked me to the ground, taking a couple swings to the face. I tried covering my face to shield it from any more of its punches, before trying to flip and get the upper hand. But for a fucking zombie, it had a pretty damn strong grip. It started to slam my head into the cement, which hurt like a son of a bitch, but damn it, I wasn't going to let this be the end of me.

We wrestled for a few more seconds before a large arm grabbed the ghoul by its neck and tossed it to the side like a damn rag doll. I looked up, my head feeling fuzzy from having my head knocked around, and saw the man in the tank armor quickly and easily take out the ghoul by stomping on it. I tried to sit up, but my head started to throb and I felt dizzy. When I looked around, it looked like the rest of the ghouls had been taken care of.

He stomped over to me and offered me his metal hand, I took it and he pulled me up. I still felt a little dizzy, but it was only a small thing. "Thank you-" I started before he began to speak.

"We appreciate the assistance, civilian. But what's your business here?" His voice sounded deep and stern, and he probably was the guy in charge of whatever was going on here. I recognized the armor as the one I'd used in Concord when I first met the Minutemen, but I didn't recognize the design on it at all.

"I uh-" my temples started to ring, it was getting harder to think and I tried to push past it, "I heard the distress call over the radio and figured I-I could come help."

He raised his eyebrows when he saw my pip boy, a reaction I was pretty used to considering they were rare to see in the Commonwealth, unless it was on a vault dweller. "Are you from a local settlement?"

My head was starting to feel heavy again, and I was beginning to feel a little dizzy. That ghoul must have made a number on my head. "No, not really. It's uh a little complicated." I was hoping that answer would suffice, but he seemed to push a little more.

"What do you mean, civilian?" He asked suspiciously, man, what was up with all the questions? I know he wasn't trying to ride my ass or anything, but I just didn't want to stand here and answer all these questions for god knows how long.

"I have a name, you know." I retorted, "And I'm from a Vault. So I guess you could call it local."

"I appreciate the honesty – not many people would admit to that." He paused before continuing, "If I appear suspicious, it's because our mission here has been difficult. Since the moment we arrived in the Commonwealth, we've been constantly under fire."

I guess he didn't hear the part about me having a name.

"What's your name? We could use the help if you're willing to lend a hand. Our supplies are low and I'm down a man." Nevermind.

I extended my hand to shake his, "My name is Isabelle…and sure, I could help I suppose…" I hesitated a little, since I didn't know too much of what I was getting myself into. But he looked like he could take care of himself, and there was a chance he could help me once I'd helped him.

"I appreciate it, Isabelle. I'm Paladin Danse with the Brotherhood of Steel, over there is Scribe Haylen and Knight Rhys." He nodded over to a young woman who was aiding the wounded man I saw earlier. "I've been trying to send a distress call to my superiors, but the signal is too weak."

He went on to explain that his team needed to get their hands on this technology called the Deep Range Transmitter, which was located at ArcJet Systems. Seemed easy enough, get in, grab the thing and come back. After that, like I said, maybe he could return the favor.

Danse had me resupply in the police station before getting some rest for the night. "We'll head out in the morning, civilian. Be ready by then." He told me before stomping back to the main area, I wondered if he even slept in that armor. Or if he even slept at all, he looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep in several days, though I can't imagine I look any better myself. I also didn't even bother correcting him on calling me "Civilian" again, I couldn't imagine that habit breaking anytime soon considering he was a part of this Brotherhood of Steel or whatever they called themselves. They were some sort of military faction that basically wanted to hoard all the good technology that was left in the Commonwealth, from what I gathered.

I slipped into the sleeping bag the Scribe gave to me, trying to get comfortable. After all, I needed all the rest I could get since my head was still throbbing and I didn't want it to cause any setbacks tomorrow on the way to ArcJet Systems. The sooner we could get the Deep Range Transmitter, the sooner I could be on my way to Diamond City. I turned on my side and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

He had to take a double take when he saw her taking cover. Danse caught a flash of what she was wearing, which appeared to be a vault suit. Even more surprising was the piece of technology on her left arm, what appeared to be a pretty intact pip boy.

Danse was also surprised at her ability to mostly handle herself, until the one ghoul caught her off guard. Once he'd taken care of it, he wanted to know what brought her to their location. He couldn't help but notice how she didn't look like your average run of the mill wastelander, she looked a lot cleaner in fact. Like she'd hardly been exposed to much radiation at all.

She didn't talk too much of herself, but it didn't matter because she agreed to help him find the Deep Range Transmitter they needed. She seemed a little reluctant to help at first, but he was relieved that he would have the extra hand. He also couldn't help but admit that there was something about her that certainly piqued his interest, but that had to wait until after the mission was completed.

He was hoping that she would be able to prove herself at ArcJet Systems, maybe then she would be able to help join to fight the good fight for the Brotherhood.


	3. Chapter 3

ArcJet Systems wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, aside from all the damn synths that seemed to be never ending. The one good thing that came out of it was that I was able to pick up a nice new laser pistol. That was sure to come in handy in the near future. It was weird to see how excited I got over a new gun, considering back when before everything happened, guns scared the hell out of me. I always made sure that Nate wouldn't bring any in the house, for the fear of it going off. He always thought it was funny how scared I would get, the ass. God, I missed him so much sometimes. It still felt really raw sometimes, but I knew I had to keep my head up and keep moving forward. There were still times where I couldn't help but feel guilty for trying not to think about it so much, but it's what Nate would have wanted. He would want me to keep on keeping on, and he would want me to find our son. He wouldn't want me hiding in Sanctuary Hills, just waiting for the days to pass by. It was still a hard truth to accept though.

Once we left ArcJet Systems, I handed over the Deep Range Transmitter, the one I found left on a synth's body in the control room. Looks like we weren't the only ones who were looking for it. It was my first time seeing, well killing, a synth. Let me tell you something, those fuckers are scary. They don't feel pain like humans, at least that's what it seemed like, so it takes more than a couple bullets to actually put them down.

"Well, that could have gone smoother, but mission accomplished." Paladin Danse said, and I had to admit I was taken aback a bit. I mean, we made it out alive, we got what we needed and we weren't too beat up, aside from him probably getting cooked a bit in his Power Armor from when I turned on the engines…at least we were both in one piece!

"You're joking right? We got what we needed. I'd say it went pretty smooth." I quickly retorted.

"You have a point. Again, I appreciate the assistance."

"No problem, hopefully you can get your distress signal to your superiors." I looked away, not really sure of what to say next, should I go on my merry way to Diamond City? Stick around? What exactly was the next step here? "I guess that's it?"

"Not necessarily, I think we have two more things that would be important to discuss. First, I'd like to compensate you for your assistance during this mission, I think you could find it useful." He stepped forward towards me, well more like stomped. I had to admit, his armor was damn impressive. I remember how I felt like I could take on the world when I was in one of those.

Danse then offered me his personal laser rifle, which he even modified himself. I almost couldn't accept it, it seemed like a huge offering for how little it felt like I did. I hesitated when accepting, wouldn't he need it himself? I even asked, but he assured me that all Brotherhood soldiers always had a backup weapon.

His second proposal was...rather interesting. Basically he thought I would fit right in with the Brotherhood of Steel, and that he was impressed with how I handled myself back in ArcJet Systems, surprisingly enough. It was pretty flattering, not going to lie, considering a couple months ago I could hardly hit a bloatfly. He explained that I could either do small jobs in the Commonwealth for a couple of caps, or be a part of something - something big.

"I'm uh not sure really, I mean what would be expected of me? What would I even do?" I stammered, since I wasn't sure I was going to even get myself into by joining this Brotherhood of Steel. The offer was tempting though, and I had to admit that it was appealing to be a part of something, to make a difference.

"You'd be under my command, and I would expect you to follow orders. You would also have access to advanced military technology and your own suit of power armor. More importantly, you would have the Brotherhood at your back, ready to spill their blood to keep you alive." He seemed honest, and the way he covered me back there gave me faith in not only him, but the rest of the Brotherhood. And to have access to that military technology...would certainly be useful in the future.

It seemed like an obvious choice, but some part of me still remained suspicious. Here I was, only a couple of hours after meeting this strange tank armor guy, and I'm already being offered a position in their ranks. Was there something else really at play?

He was waiting for a response, "So what do you say? I understand it's a big choice to make, so if you want to join - you know where to find us." He started to turn away, probably wanting to give me some time to think. I also assumed that he wanted to get the transmitter set up as soon as possible to get his distress signals out, and here I was wasting his time. I didn't want to pass this opportunity up. I couldn't. Though he was right about it being a big choice to make, it was something I should decide now.

"Wait-" I needed to tell him before he would make his way back to the station, "I'm interested. I want to join you guys, maybe you can help me in return." I didn't want to give too much immediately, but I wanted him to at least know that I was going to need his help at some point.

I could tell he wanted to know about what I needed help with, but he decided not to ask, it seemed like. He gave a small (surprisingly) smile and extended his metal hand, "Outstanding. Let's head back to the station and get you settled in, soldier."

Not a title I was going to get used to anytime soon, considering I am the general of the Minutemen. But hey, it beats the "civilian" title. I followed suit and we started our way back to the police station, with a question ringing through my head: what the hell did I just get myself into?

* * *

The pair made their way back to the police station, with their Deep Range Transmitter in tow. Once they arrived, Scribe Haylen was able to use the tech to contact their superiors - and backup was on the way, much to everyone's relief.

Danse was also relieved she accepted his proposal, after all, if the Brotherhood was going to take on the Institute, they were going to need all the help they could get. She might not have been a perfect shot, but he definitely saw potential in her as a soldier, and he had faith that she could only get better. Though he had to admit he was very curious about what the "help" she was talking about was, but she didn't seem open at all to talking about it. As long as it didn't interfere with their missions, it wasn't his business. But the minute it could compromise the main mission of taking down the Institute, it was all of the Brotherhood's business.

The backup they needed arrived in a pretty timely matter, by the time it got dark, there were enough soldiers there that could help resupply and keep watch. Which also meant that Danse could finally get some much needed sleep. Having a man down, in addition to a pack of feral ghouls (that were fortunately no longer a problem) made it hard for him to sleep at all.

He went to recheck his weapons and armor for the second time that night, as he could never be sure. Danse liked to make sure all of his things were not only neatly organized, but in arms reach - especially at the police station they were holed up in. When he was finally satisfied, he was about to get ready to finally get some shut eye.

That is, until he heard the commotion in the main lobby.

"You should learn how to address your superiors, initiate." Knight Rhys spat. He was speaking to Isabelle, who had absentmindedly bumped into him when she was looking at her map on her pip boy. Danse sighed internally, as he was already fully aware of how Rhys felt about the newest member of the Brotherhood. He didn't get in the middle though, not yet at least, because he both wanted to see how she would handle it and he also wanted her to learn how to deal with people like Rhys, as there certainly was not a shortage of people like him in the Brotherhood. Knight Rhys wasn't a bad guy, he was a great soldier in fact, just a little… rough around the edges.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, obviously caught off guard by his animosity. What the hell does he have against me? She thought to herself, but didn't want to cause any problems on basically her first day. She figured the Knight was just riding her ass just because he could. "I was looking at the map to see where you wanted me to-"

He threw his hands up and scoffed angrily, "I gave you orders and you're sitting here wasting my time instead of doing what I ordered you to." He crossed his arms and made eye contact with Danse and continued, "I even told you that you better not show your face around here until you cleared out Faneuil Hall."

She started to speak again, this time not as meekly as before, "Of course…", Danse could tell she was biting her tongue, which he appreciated. The last thing he wanted was to have to break them up if a fist fight broke out. "Sorry again...sir." And then she had to add that part at the end, the "sir" being dripped with sarcasm.

"Watch your tone, initiate." He started to close the distance between them and Danse was about to step in, things were not looking good. "I don't know what the hell Paladin Danse sees in you, but I can assure you that no one else sees it."

Isabelle couldn't hold back a smile before retorting, "Huh, well it's a good thing that you don't make those decisions, right? After all, knight-"

Danse stepped between the two, cutting her off before she could make it worse, which he had a feeling of what was going to happen, "That's enough! Both of you need to cut this shit out now. You're both going to need to learn how to work together, whether you like it or not." He felt like he was talking to two kids, and he was not happy about it.

Her face hardened, while Knight Rhys perked up and apologized to Danse, "Of course, sir." Meanwhile, Isabelle rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. "Right, sounds good." She quickly spat out. Danse could feel Rhys getting worked up again, "Is that how you address your superiors?"

Danse turned to him, "Knight Rhys, get some rest - you're going to need it to recuperate from your injuries." Rhys complied, and went to get his injuries checked before going to rest. Danse then turned to Isabelle, "We need to talk, now." He spoke sternly, as much as he didn't want to lecture her, he needed to set some things straight.

* * *

I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing. Basically even though Knight Rhys was being a complete asshole, my ass was going to get chewed out by Danse. He started with all this crap about learning how to address my superiors and how to listen to orders, he emphasized that doing those two things will make my time serving with them a lot easier. Which is funny, because it's something I'm willing to do, just not to people who are being dicks for no reason.

"Ok, right, I get it. I'm a lowly initiate and so I have to basically listen to any order I get." I said sarcastically, as I was incredibly annoyed and just wanted to be left alone, honestly. I wonder if Rhys was even going to get any lecture tonight. Seriously, what the fuck was his problem? I could get him not trusting me, since I really am an outsider, but he really really really didn't seem to like me at all. It's like he had a permanent stick up his ass. I asked Scribe Haylen about it earlier, and she insisted it would get better with time. But she seemed to see him through rose tinted lenses, and I had a hunch that she used to have some feelings for him.

Danse sat up straight and sighed, "That's not at all what I'm saying. You just need to learn to respect your superiors - and that includes Knight Rhys. I won't deny that he can be rough around the edges, but it'll be easier for both of us if you just show him you can take orders. He's going to need to see you're capable before he treats you better. Is that understood?" I knew he didn't want to really lecture me, in fact he was surprisingly patient. I really expected him to chew my ass out for my "disrespect".

"Yep." I replied flatly, I just wanted to sleep at this point. The sooner I get to bed, the sooner I can head out tomorrow. "Are we done?"

He furrowed his brow, probably upset with my never ending attitude. "We're done when I dismiss you, soldier. Sit down." He ordered, and I did so. "There was something else I wanted to discuss."

"Oh? What was that?"

"Where were you heading when you heard our distress call? I'm curious what business a vault dweller would have out in the Commonwealth." Damn, I was hoping this wouldn't come up, at least not yet. I know Preston encouraged that I mention Shaun, but it still felt weird to me, and just too soon.

I shot back, hoping to change the subject, "I'm curious what makes you so curious."

"Evading my questions is a sure fire way to get yourself into trouble, I hope you don't act like this around Captain Kells or even Elder Maxson. They're not as patient as I can be." His voice softened a little, I guess to put me a little more at ease and not make it seem like he was interrogating me, "You're under my command now, Isabelle, meaning I'm responsible for you. With that responsibility, I have to know if there's anything about you that can compromise our mission."

I shook my head, but sat down on my sleeping bag next to him, "I can assure you it won't. But it is a long story, and I don't want to bore you with all of the details." He nodded quietly, so I continued, "I was going to Diamond City, I'm looking for my son. He was kidnapped and I'm trying to get him back. I don't know who did it...but whoever did it, it just seemed so organized and planned. It doesn't seem like a bunch of random raiders or junkies did it...I just- I just don't know what anyone could want with an infant? A baby boy?" My shoulders started to shake, God damnit not again. I kept my composure though, I didn't want to just push all of my problems on him, "I was told I could find some answers in Diamond City, so that's where I was heading. Until I heard you distress call and helped you guys out…"

"I'm sorry, I can't imagine what that must be like. I can understand why you would want to head there. I have to ask though, because you're right, it didn't sound like a random kidnapping. Do you know who the Institute is?" I appreciated his condolences, but I knew he couldn't promise me any help just yet. I can't imagine that the Brotherhood looks for missing babies too often, but again, I figured they could help me get closer to the people who took Shaun.

"The Institute? I've heard of them before...never really thought they would be behind it. What could they want with a baby?" My stomach sank a little, as I'd heard of this Institute before and about how it wasn't common for people to go missing because of them, but this still raised more questions.

"I'm not sure. I do know that they're usually behind these types of kidnappings. The good thing is that we're trying to find out how to get into the Institute, maybe that can help give you the answers you're looking for." I nodded in response and gave him a small smile, "Thank you, I appreciate it. I still need to go to Diamond City though." I added, hoping it wouldn't cause any issues.

He paused to think, and he began to scratch his stubble, "Let me come with you. I want to help, and there's a good chance that we're looking for the same thing."

He had a point there, there was a good chance that the Institute was behind Shaun's kidnapping, and them already being on the Brotherhood's radar would certainly prove useful. But there was only one way to find out: by going to Diamond City.


	4. Chapter 4

I hope to hear some feedback soon, I would love to know how I'm doing! Thanks for reading!

* * *

They spent the next week and a half to clear out some buildings by the police station, as well as in the downtown Boston area. Slowly, they were becoming a bit more used to each other. They worked well as a team, though Danse often found himself annoyed with her at times, as she tended to be a little reckless. He still was impressed at how quickly she became a good shot, especially for a vault dweller.

For the most part, she tended to keep to herself. They didn't talk too much, aside from when they needed to. Danse figured that she was just a private person.

Isabelle at first felt suspicious of Danse, as he seemed pretty quick to invite her into their ranks, as well as how quickly he volunteered to join her. It made more sense as the days went on though, when she would listen to his rants (at least, what sounded like rants to her) about synths and how they needed to be destroyed. And if the Institute was behind Shaun's kidnapping, she was glad to have a faction who was set on destroying them on her side. As for synths themselves - she was personally neutral in regards to them, as she was to most things, because all she cared about was her son and her friends back in Sanctuary. Speaking of which, she took note that she needed to head back there soon at some point. She figured that Preston was probably wanting an update, and if she doesn't visit soon, he may end up sending Minutemen to check up on her. Isabelle also wondered how Dogmeat was, she often found herself missing her furry friend, especially at night. Danse didn't seem like the cuddly type, like Dogmeat was. Damn I miss that dog, she often thought to herself, even though it was hard to be sneaky with him around.

They'd finally cleared out Hubris Comics and Faneuil Hall before deciding to head back to the station. It was the first time that Isabelle had even encountered a "glowing one" type of feral ghoul, and she hoped it was going to be the last. She remembered how Danse ordered her to keep her distance, since those types of feral ghouls needed more than a handful of bullets to take them down. Not only that, but if they get close enough to you, you'll be enjoying a pretty big dose of radiation, hence their nickname.

The pair was making their way back to Cambridge, and began to cross the bridge above the Charles.

"Hold on!" She called out to Danse, who was leading the way. She paused momentarily, it was just that she hadn't seen the Charles River in so long she almost forgot what it looked like. One of her fears was that she would end up forgetting what her beautiful home city looked like before the war. She was often so caught up in the moment that she didn't take the time to really take a good look at the Commonwealth and take in how different it was now. How different everything was.

Danse walked towards her, slightly annoyed. He just wanted to get back to the station and get some rest, as well as check up on everyone back there. "What's wrong?" He asked, not too interested in sightseeing at the moment.

Isabelle leaned against the guardrail on the side of the bridge, "Nothing, it's just...it looks so different now. Different from-" she cut herself off before continuing, as she forgot that she never mentioned that she lived before the war. How was she supposed to bring something like that up?

"Different from what?" He caught that she was hiding something, but wasn't too sure of what.

"Nothing, it's just...different. That's all." How would she go about saying this? It was something that just never came up, she didn't talk too much about herself aside from the first night she met him, when she talked about her son. Most of the time, they were too busy covering each other's asses, that or sleeping.

Danse had a feeling of something being off, her not knowing who the Brotherhood was, how some things appeared to be a complete shock to her. He took note of how she reacted to some creatures of the Commonwealth, like how freaked out she was when they encountered a nest of bloodbugs, hell even bloat flies, or how she called Brahmin "those two headed thingies". "Did you grow up around here?"

"Yeah I did actually. It's just it was a lot different when I grew up. A lot...nicer."

Now he was confused, he didn't grow up in the Commonwealth but he sure as hell knew that it's looked the same for the past 200 or so years. She was either hiding something from him, or she was crazy. Either way, he wanted to know what she even meant and why she had to be so cryptic, "What do you mean? I'm sure everything has looked the same...for quite a while now" It was as if she set out to confuse him. Danse was used to straightforward people, not people like her, who often raised more questions than not with her actions and words. He couldn't deny that she was a strange woman.

A bullet whizzed by them before she could explain herself. "Fuck!" She breathed out before taking cover. She couldn't peek out from cover without the risk of getting shot at, so she figured she'd let them come to her.

"Come out you fucking cowards!" Sounded just like raiders. She felt a little relieved, surprisingly. Anything but a deathclaw or a pack of feral ghouls.

"I want the little bitch for myself!" Another one yelled, couldn't they have been a little more creative?

Danse remained in cover while she perked up, taking a quick shot are the raider closest to them. There were maybe three or four in total, so it wasn't going to be too hard to dispose of them. She rushed to the next car, while Danse covered her by taking out the next closest one. Two down, two left to go.

One snuck up on her, but was only armed with a pipe wrench. The junked up man struck her in the arm, knocking her pistol out of her hands and onto the road. She dodged his next lunge and created a distance between the two. Isabelle was never good at hand to hand combat, but luckily she carried a backup knife. When the raider lunged at her again, she quickly moved out of the way and dug her knife into his back. He immediately fell to the ground, gasping for air and tried to reach for the knife lodged in his back. She ran to grab her pistol and finished the job, before pulling out her knife from his back.

There was still one raider who was still in cover, hiding since they witnessed how easily their friends were taken down. She chuckled a bit at the irony, before rushing to their hiding spot. Isabelle elbowed the raider to get them out of their spot before Danse finished the job. She hated when he took her kills, but she never complained about it.

"You alright, soldier?" Danse scouted the area to make sure there weren't any leftover raiders.

"Yep I'm good!" She called out in response. Isabelle started to scavenge through the bodies to see if there was anything useful. At first she felt disgusted for doing such a thing, but over time she realized that they're not gonna need it anymore, so she might as well take it.

They began to continue to cross the bridge and pick up the pace, until Isabelle felt some water droplets land on her forehead. Shiiiiit, she thought to herself. The sky had a slight green tinge to it the whole day, but they figured it was just the radiation. She hadn't been in the wastes for too long, but she knew how bad the storms could get at times..

Danse knew the same too, and the last thing he wanted was for his power armor to rust again. Last time it happened, Proctor Ingram rode his ass and made sure he'd promised to take better care of his armor. He couldn't imagine how Isabelle would take care of hers, considering how...brave she tried to be at times.

They weren't even halfway across the bridge, in fact they were closer to downtown than they were Cambridge. Regardless, they were going to need to find shelter fast, "Let's get moving!" Danse ordered, heading back in the direction they just came from.

"Where?" Isabelle asked as she quickly followed him.

"We can head back to Hubris Comics, since we just cleared it out."

She shrugged and continued to follow in his footsteps. She checked the time on her pip boy, it was probably going to get dark soon. "Are we just staying there tonight?"

"Makes sense to do so, by the time it stops raining - if it does today, it'll be too dark to get back to the station."

She nodded in response, "True… Let's get going then." Isabelle holstered her pistol again to move quicker, they needed to get back to Hubris Comics before the storm would get worse.

* * *

We were fortunate to get to the now abandoned building before the storm got worse. But the shitty thing was that my vault suit got completely soaked, as did my bag.

Danse and I made our way to the top floor, where the roof was accessible in case we needed to make a quick exit. We both set up traps on the first and second floor just in case, since we both needed some sleep. Clearing out this building and Faneuil Hall in one day was a lot of work, I was surprised we were still in one piece considering how the latter building was infested with super mutants. Gods they were a bitch to put down.

I tried to keep warm, but it was hard to considering my suit was more or less soaked all the way through. I had backup clothes (a pretty intact ivory dress and an oversized T shirt) in my bag, but they were slightly damp. It was still better than nothing.

Danse heard me shivering, "Everything alright?" He asked, in his usual stiff voice. I wonder if he even cared about my answer. It wasn't that he was a bad guy, it's just I had a hard time thinking there was more to him besides the Brotherhood of Steel. It seemed to be the only thing he ever really wanted to talk about. I still didn't mind his presence too much, the silence was nice once in a while. Other times it did drive me a little crazy.

"Nope, not at all. I'm freezing my ass over here because my fucking suit is completely soaked." I spat out, probably sounding angrier than I intended to. I kept shaking, and sat down to get my boots off, there's almost nothing worse than wet socks - especially in what was left of Boston. I checked my pip boy again, it was 7:14 pm. Damn it. This was going to be a long night, it was already starting to get dark. I was still used to the longer days, but the seasons were starting to change and the days were going to get shorter and shorter. Even if it stopped raining, I don't think either of us are up for the trip back to the station.

I focused on taking off my boots and kept shaking, it wasn't going to get any warmer which sucked. At least I got kind of a shower? That was the one thing I missed about Sanctuary Hills, since Sturges and I got the plumbing to work in some of the houses we were all able to enjoy showers every so often.

"I'm not sure what to tell you…" Danse began, he was so awkward at times, it made me wonder if there was even a person under that armor. "I can go look for something to keep you warm."

"Sure, yeah," I waved him off. "I have to change anyways." I saw him sneer out of the corner of my eye, I still wasn't used to the whole "respecting your superiors thing", and I'm sure Danse was well aware of that. It seemed like he didn't even push me calling him "sir" anymore, because when I did, I usually did so sarcastically and I could tell it got on his nerves. Come on, it's pretty funny to mess with him since he was so stiff sometimes. It was even better when I would (rarely) get him to crack a little smile. I couldn't deny I had grown a tiny bit attached to him, he just...really reminded me of Nate at times. Especially when he didn't laugh at my jokes.

I sighed, and tried to shake the thoughts of Nate away. I missed him so much but I didn't want it to be a distraction while I was out here. I still wished that it was me who was shot back in the vault, he would have probably found Shaun by now. No, no, no. Stop thinking like that Isabelle. Stop.

I tried to distract myself by focusing on changing out of the almost ruined vault suit, hell, even that reminded me of Nate. I wondered what would have happened if I just never got to that damn thing in the fucking first place.

My hands were shaking as I was pulling the zipper down and peeling the suit off of me. The cold air hit my body but it felt a little refreshing, since that suit felt a little stuffy at times. Couldn't imagine power armor being any better.

I wasn't sure what to put on instead, but I just went with the pretty cream colored dress. It reminded me of the ones I used to wear on my date nights with Nate. I bit the back of my hand to not cry, and wondered what it would have been like if Nate was here. A small tear rolled down my cheek but I wiped it away quickly so that I could pull the dress over my head.

"Initiate!" I heard Danse call when he entered the small office I was changing in, which startled me and caused me to trip over my feet.

"Oh! Sorry I- uh I didn't realize you were changing." I wasn't even sure if he saw anything, but his tone kinda gave it away.

I finished pulling the dress over my head and taking the rest of the suit off, somewhat embarrassed over my fall. "Couldn't have knocked or anything?" My voice cracked a little, and I was hoping he didn't catch the fact that I was crying a little earlier. I probably sounded more annoyed.

"Sorry, I'll keep that in mind next time. I found a couple of sleeping bags though, maybe these could help?" He handed me several, which wasn't going to really do much, but it was something to sleep on.

"Thanks," I mumbled before snatching them from him. After I draped my wet vault suit over the desk, I plopped down in a chair by it. It felt like I hadn't gotten the chance to just sit in so long.

Danse remained leaned against the door frame, I hadn't even realized that he was out of his armor for once. He looked much smaller, well I mean he probably had a good half a foot on me, but it just was different that him being in the armor. He had a much larger presence in the armor, but out of it just made him seem more...human.

He stepped in the room to arrange the sleeping bags, "You should get some sleep, Isabelle." He usually didn't call me by my name, so this felt a little weird.

"Yep." I was short with him, I didn't mean to be but anytime I thought back to Nate and all this bullshit going on, it just put me into a sour mood.

He sighed, "I'll be cleaning my armor - just let me know if you need anything." I couldn't tell if he was annoyed with me for being short with him, or just exhausted. I began to feel bad though, I shouldn't be so short with him. Here he was out here with me, risking his ass for me, but I was too busy with my self pity party to recognize that.

"Danse, look…" I began, I was never good with apologies. "Sorry for being short. Just has been a rough couple of weeks. It's not you."

He looked over his shoulder, "Don't worry about it." I didn't know if he was upset. "If you need me I'll be out here." He didn't even turn around and kept walking.

Even though we'd been working together, cleansing the Commonwealth, I still felt so alone. I knew we weren't going to be like best buddies or anything, since he technically was my superior officer, but it would have been nice for him to feel more like a companion.

I crawled into one of the sleeping bags hoping to catch some shut eye. I wasn't feeling any warmer, but hopefully the sleeping bag would keep me warm enough for the night.

It was nights like these where I really, really missed Nate. Damn everything to hell.

* * *

 **Sorry for the kind of rushed chapter, I'm trying to keep on a consistent schedule with posting since I'll be busy again when classes start. Hope everyone is enjoying this so far!**


	5. Chapter 5

Another night, another nightmare. She thought that by now they would have slowed down, but they seemed worse than before. She was constantly reliving the memory of seeing Nate being shot, her baby being taken away.

Isabelle awoke suddenly in a cold sweat. Checking her pip boy, she saw that she hadn't been asleep for very long. It was only 12:23 am. And it was still raining outside, but much harder.

She began to crawl out of her sleeping bag before noticing the other one was empty. It looked like it hadn't been touched at all. "Danse?" She groggily whispered into the dark. He usually slept less than she did, so she figured he was just in the other room tinkering with his laser rifle.

There was no response though, so she got up to investigate. She wasn't surprised when she found him, with his weapons laid out on a desk. "What are you doing still up?" Her voice barely above a whisper.

"I could ask you the same." He didn't seem startled one bit. Danse carefully placed his rifle down and sat down, facing her. He noticed how tired and anxious she looked, which was a little odd. Her hair was a bit of a mess, and she looked like she hadn't been sleeping well. She looked different without her vault suit on, much more feminine and soft, but it also helped that she hardly looked like she'd been affected by the wastes. Something else that seemed odd to him.

"I couldn't sleep. Bad dream." She walked over and took a seat by him. Isabelle kept fidgeting with her hands, her nightmare still on her mind.

"I know." He replied, to which she froze up and avoided eye contact. "I heard you yelling in your sleep, you kept repeating someone's name. Nate, I think. Is that your son's name?"

"He was my husband." Her voice began to falter again, it was hard to keep her composure. She felt so vulnerable. It was already bad that Preston had seen this side of her, but she didn't want Danse to think of her as weak, or even worse - unstable. "But he's dead now." It still felt so weird to say that aloud. She didn't know how to feel anymore, lost, numb, it didn't matter in the long run. When was she going to wake up from this nightmare?

She was shaken from her thoughts when she felt a rough, calloused hand placed gently on her shoulder. "I'm sorry…" It was Danse, was he trying to comfort her? He seemed to be at a loss for words, what could he possibly say to ease this woman's pain?

Isabelle shook off his hand, she hated feeling vulnerable, especially in front of others. It made her feel so weak. She wanted to throw up, she was so fucking sick of everything. What did she do to deserve this? She never asked for any of this. She never asked to be thrown into this shithole world. Her fists tightened and she felt her face reddening.

Danse was still at a loss for words, so he remained quiet. He was a little worried about her - she seemed on the verge of a complete breakdown. How could he have not seen this earlier? "Isabelle-" he began, hoping there was something he could do to calm her down. But he didn't even know where to start; he was never good with these kinds of things.

"I should have never brought it up, I'm sorry. It's completely irrelevant to our mission.." She mumbled as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "I'm sorry for keeping you up too." She shut him down quickly, feeling embarrassed for crying in front of him. He shouldn't have seen that. "I should get some sleep." She said aloud, hoping that it would be enough to drop the subject.

"Why are you so defensive?" He tried not to sound too stern, but he still had that sharp tone to his voice.

"I'm not trying to be!" She shot back, "I just shouldn't have talked about it. It doesn't even matter." She felt herself crumbling even more. It was the last thing she needed. Her chest started to tighten, but she continued, "It's not that I don't trust you...it's just that there's so much more to it. Here I am, in a whole new world where I pretty much have to just, just well get used to it or get eaten alive. I feel so lost… I feel so lost without my son or husband. I was just meant to be a lawyer, wife and a mother - not a fucking soldier." She felt herself rambling, as the words continued to pour out of her mouth.

He looked at her confused, a new world? What did she mean by that? "I- I don't understand where this is going. Are you telling me that you lived before the war?" He almost couldn't believe it, it was impossible. It had to be. Danse was aware of people who from pre-war times, but those people were ghouls, none of them looked like her.

Isabelle froze under his gaze, remembering that she'd never brought this up before with him. She sniffled before answering, "Yes…" There was a small pause before she continued, "I grew up before all of this."

"How is that even possible?" It was starting to make some sense to him now, how strange she was at times. How she reacted to certain things, how shocked she seemed by things that never bothered him. He grew up in this wasteland, well not this one exactly, but he'd grown up in this world. It was the only world he was familiar with. Her, on the other hand, she lost everything and was thrown into this new world without any warning.

She rubbed her eyes some more, "I still don't understand it. But the vault, it- they froze us. We got there in time just after the bombs fell…" She began to trail off, feeling that she'd said too much too soon. It was hard for her open up like this, yet here she was. But at the same time, she felt like she owed him some sort of explanation for some of her behavior, especially if they were going to be working together indefinitely. "After we all got there, they put us into these pods, and well...here I am now. I'm the only one left." She felt herself sulking some more, _why_ was she the only left? "I still don't know what happened to the rest."

Isabelle lifted herself off the bench she was sitting on to make her way back to sleep, "I really should get back to sleep. It's probably going to be a long day tomorrow." She felt her voice soften a bit, "You should try to get some sleep too, Danse."

He hung his head low in response, still unsure of what to say after everything she'd just dropped on him, about living before the war, coming from Vault 111, losing her husband. Danse nodded in agreement, though, since tomorrow was certainly going to be a long day. "I will. Get some rest, soldier."

She turned back to make her way back to sleep, when she heard Danse speak up again behind her, "Also, if you need anything...just let me know. Alright?"

Isabelle gave a small smile in response, it was a gesture she thoroughly appreciated, "I will, thanks."

She was finally able to get a good night's sleep that day.

* * *

 **Sorry for the shorter chapter, I'm trying to figure out how things are going to be moving along. Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you guys think. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Just over a week had passed since their arrival in Diamond City. In that time, they managed to track down and rescue Nick Valentine from Skinny Malone's gang in Vault 114, which would prove useful in the search for Shaun. Isabelle had also done an interview with Piper, which instantly became the next hit in _Publick Occurrences._ Anytime she'd walk around the city, someone would recognize her as "that one vault girl", or make a comment about how she "looked pretty good for being over 200 years old" - she couldn't help but smile to herself when she heard that especially. _Looks like I still got it,_ she thought to herself.

When they finally found Nick, they were both surprised - but for different reasons. Isabelle had seen a couple synths before, back in ArcJet Systems, but never had she seen some so...human looking. She liked the guy, synth, whatever, almost immediately, there was something about him that was very reassuring to her. It was probably the fact that he reminded her of pre-war times, yeah, that had to be it. Danse, on the other hand, he couldn't say he disliked the person, but he was suspicious. The Brotherhood taught him that the only good synth was a dead synth. But he did know that he would help Isabelle find Shaun, so he didn't press too hard about the Brotherhood ideals. Not yet, at least. For the time being, he didn't see "it" as a threat.

Once they'd all returned to Diamond City, Nick promised that he would her her find her son, but he had to catch up on other cases first. Isabelle understood, and so spent the next couple of days enjoying the city and trying to relax with some drinks. She'd come to enjoy Piper's company a lot actually, as the two would often spend a lot of time together. Danse would usually keep to himself, not wanting to let his guard down around the city. Though they were technically on leave, that didn't mean he could just relax.

There was one night, however, where he started to open up a little bit to Isabelle. He told her about how he grew up in Rivet City as a merchant. How he scavenged for things just to get a couple caps for food. How he even ended up with the Brotherhood. He also told her about his own leader, Paladin Krieg, and about what happened to his close friend from before joining the Brotherhood, which explained his deep hatred for anything basically non-human.

The city was starting to die down, shops were beginning to close and Piper had said her goodbyes to Danse and Isabelle, since she had to get started on writing a new article. "Goodnight, Piper," Isabelle smiled and waved, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep!" Piper replied and grinned back, "See you later, Blue." She glanced over to Danse, who was seated next to Isabelle at the bar, "Have a good one too, tin can." She playfully winked and made her way back home. Isabelle couldn't help but snort and laugh, she absolutely loved the nickname Piper gave Danse, it just seemed so fitting for him at times.

"Yeah, yeah, keep laughing." He waved her off, not wanting to crack a small smile.

"I'm sorry! It's just pretty fitting. You are kind of like a tin can sometimes, Danse. You should lighten up sometime." She elbowed him and gave him a smile, "You could use a drink or two too."

"Sounds good, _Blue_." He spat back, if he was going to have a ridiculous nickname then he certainly had every right to make fun of hers.

She rolled her eyes, "Ugh, shut up. My nickname is better anyways, tin can." She laughed again at the nickname, how could a name be so perfect?

"You should be calling me 'sir', not 'tin can', initiate." Now she could tell he was messing around, since he was telling her to call him 'sir'. She thought he was over that already. And although Danse wasn't much of a jokester, she enjoyed his somewhat dry sense of humor.

Isabelle ignored him and ordered two drinks, one for each of them. Once they were served, she took a sip and started to think about the city they were in. She couldn't call it the most aesthetically pleasing city she'd been to, as nothing could compare, but she really didn't mind the place. It amazed her how people managed to turn this into such a lively and functioning city, it gave her hope: if they made it, then she can too.

She thought back to when she went to her first Red Sox game with Nate, back on their second date. She smiled to herself when she remembered their dates together, how awkward Nate had been when he asked her out for the first time. Nate was her first love, considering she never dated throughout high school as she was too shy or awkward. She was fortunate that he didn't know her through her awkward years, those "it's not a phase, mom!" years.

Nate was her first love. Nate was also her first heartbreak.

Isabelle couldn't believe it when she first found the messages, _no, no, something's wrong. It must have been a mistake,_ she thought to herself. He was her first everything, her first love, he wouldn't hurt her this way. The messages were between Nate and some other woman, someone who Isabelle had never heard of. She only needed to read a couple lines to know what they were talking about, the other woman asking when Nate will see her again and how much she missed him and loved him. Nate replied in a similar manner, talking about how he couldn't wait to get away from home to go see her. Nowhere in those messages was Isabelle even mentioned. She remembered how she collapsed to the floor as she felt her whole world crumble around her.

It started to make some sense now, all the pieces coming together: him coming home late on several occasions, being a bit distant, even smelling a bit off. _How could he do this to me?_ The thought continued to ring through her head, it wasn't true. It couldn't have been true. They were married, they had a house and they were going to have lots of kids - they were going to be a happy family. She remembered trying to calm herself down, taking deep breaths, but her curiosity got the better of her and she read the rest of the messages. Her heart sunk in her chest, and she felt the bile rise in her throat. Nothing could help her unsee those messages. She remembered how she nearly drank herself to death that night, any way to numb her heartache. And yet, she still missed him.

"Something on your mind?" Danse interrupted her thoughts, wondering if something was up.

"Huh? What?" She choked on her drink a little bit, caught off guard. "No, nothing really. Just thinking about things...this place just brings back memories." She ordered two more drinks, this time stronger and just for her. Isabelle needed the distraction.

"You looked a little lost there." He added as he took another sip of his drink, taking note that she was already on her second, and that the third drink was most likely not for him.

"Yeah, heh, sorry about that. I was just thinking about, well...Nate. We've been here a couple of times back when it was Fenway Park." She admitted, she figured by now he could mostly tell whenever she was hiding something from him. It was one of the "perks" that came with the whole traveling together for a couple weeks.

"What was it like back then?"

"Well, it was a baseball field instead. It's amazing how it's become all of this." She gestured to the city around her. "But yeah, we've been here a couple times." Her voice lowered and she continued to pound back her drink, still thinking about the past.

He listened to her patiently, he knew it wasn't easy for her to talk about her past life or he husband. Would it be out of line of him to ask more about him? He was curious to learn more about her, but he didn't want to pry too much. "Your husband, Nate, what was he like?"

She cleared her throat and lowered her head before taking another swig of her drink. Danse began to worry that he'd pushed too much too soon. He was about to tell her that she didn't have to reply, before she started speaking, "Nate…" She sighed and shook her head, "Nate was a good father. Well, would have been, I guess. He was my first love too...but-" She didn't know what else to say, would it be inappropriate to share something that personal? Isabelle was in the middle, but she figured he wouldn't mind since he shared so much about himself earlier.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to answer that if it makes you feel uncomfortable." He reassured her, hoping that she would believe him.

"No, no, it's fine, Danse. Really. You told me a lot about your life, it's only fair that you know some more about me." She gave him a small reassuring smile before going back to finish her second drink. She felt herself loosening up a bit as the alcohol began to flow through her veins. "He was having an affair." She blurted, almost feeling a little relieved after having held it in for so long. Isabelle never told any of her friends, or her mother about it, since she knew that they would pressure her to leave Nate. But she couldn't do that, she couldn't leave after finding out she was pregnant. To her, Shaun deserved a happy home with two loving parents.

She began her third drink and continued, "He didn't know I knew. But he just wasn't very good at hiding it, you know? And damn it, I was going to bring it up. I wanted to - I had to. But then I got pregnant with Shaun, and well you know more or less the rest."

He was confused, how could someone stay with someone who would betray them like that, "Why didn't you?"

She shrugged and avoided eye contact, "I guess, I-I just don't really know. What could I have done? We were going to have a kid, we had a home together, we were going to start a family together...a whole new life together." She tried to reason it out to him, but it was hard to explain. Nate was, again, her first love. Love makes people do stupid things, she figured. They were also so happy together, they had a future together and with a child on the way, she couldn't and didn't want to give that up.

Danse shook his head in response, having a hard time understanding her train of thought. He would never be able to look at someone the same way if they betrayed him like that. "I suppose I just don't understand." He replied before finishing his first drink and ordering another.

Isabelle looked up from her drink, "I guess you don't.. I just didn't want Shaun to grow up in the same broken home I did." She had just about finished her third drink and felt her words slurring a bit, "My dad, he left my mom for another woman after my younger brother was born. I saw what it did to her and to our family...I couldn't let Shaun go through that. I know what it's like to be supported by a single parent who's working day and night to make sure you and your brothers have a place to sleep, food to eat, and clothes for school." She shook her head again, remembering how hard it was on her mom once she was on her own. "I couldn't let that happen. So...I just dealt with it, as best I could."

"That must have been really rough on you." Danse was never good at these "heart to heart" talks, well he was good at listening, just not at good at knowing what to say.

"Yeah," she began to rub the back of her neck, "It was. It was really hard actually, part of me wanted to just scream at him and cry the whole time." She paused and looked away, "And the other part of me just wanted to get up and leave him without saying a thing." She added flatly, feeling ashamed at the thought of just abandoning her family, but she knew she could have never brought herself to do it. The guilt would have easily crushed her and driven her right back home.

She needed another drink to numb her dull heartache. "You probably think I'm stupid for staying, huh?" She slurred, before reaching for another drink.

Danse reached out and grabbed her arm, unsure that she needed _another_ drink. "I don't, actually. I can't say I would have stayed…" Isabelle shook free of his grip and reached for her drink anyways, "Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked, a little concerned. Last thing he wanted was to carry her back to the hotel room they were staying in. It was also a little obvious that she couldn't hold her alcohol too well.

"I don't even care right now," she mumbled to herself before taking a big swig of the stronger drink, "I mean...what did she have that I didn't? I'm not ugly, I was a looker and shit, I still am!" She slumped forward to lean on the bar counter, Danse was alert to make sure she wouldn't fall off the stool. "What the fuck was so wrong with me that he had to just go and fuck someone else? Am I that bad?"

"No, you're not... But I do think...maybe you should...uhh," Should he just grab the drink from her? What would she even do in that case? He didn't think she would strike him or anything like that, but she didn't seem sober enough to know much of what was going on. "Look, maybe we should just get you to sleep."

"Fuck that, just let me finish this and maybe," she continued to slur her words, "maybe I'll think about going back." She sighed and placed her forehead on the counter, feeling a little dizzy from drinking too much too quickly. But she wasn't going to admit that to Danse, who now looked a little concerned, "Thanks for listening though, buddy," she hiccuped, "And thanks for not saying I'm ugly either." She let out a small laugh and hiccuped again. One more time and she may have hurled.

He furrowed his brows, confused as to what she meant. Well... she wasn't bad looking. She reminded him of those girls on the pre-war posters, and had a real pretty face. He knew that a lot of people took notice of her appearance, since she looked a little different than most wastelanders, and her skin tight Vault suit didn't help either (which he sometimes wondered how that even offered any protection in the Commonwealth). She had wavy black hair that fell past her shoulders, tan olive skin with freckles that splashed across her cheeks, and big hazel eyes. But he would never admit this aloud. "It's...uh not an issue. At all."

"So I'm not ugly?" She joked, with her head still on the counter.

"You- uhh...you see how people look at you around here." Danse was not going to admit that she was a beautiful woman, it would just go against so many protocols in the Brotherhood. Thinking about that was a headache in and of itself.

Isabelle lifted her head up off the counter, nearly stumbling off the stool. She pointed a finger at his chest, "I was a-asking, you, tin can." She snickered before slumping back on the counter, oh god, that last drink was probably the strongest.

Before he could respond, she began to fall off the stool, too drunk to even sit up. He reached his arm out to catch her and sat her gently on the floor, "All right, you've had enough. Let's get you back to the room." He pulled her arm to place it around his shoulder, "Think you can get up?"

She groaned in response (to which he took as a yes) and carefully brought her to her feet, making sure that she wouldn't lose her footing again. As they were making their way back to their hotel room, she quietly slurred, "I...I totally could have gone for another drink."

He cracked a small smile but she couldn't have seen it, "I don't think that would have been the best idea. Come on, soldier." Danse pulled her a little closer that way she wouldn't run off.

Once they returned to the room, Isabelle was quickly asleep on the bed. He wondered if she would remember what she told him the next day. He also wondered how she managed to stay strong after losing so much before _and_ after the war.

Danse sighed and sat on the couch by the bed, trying to make himself comfortable. It wasn't the best arrangement, and they'd agreed to switch every night. Tonight was actually his turn for the bed, but she looked so peaceful that he didn't want to move her - he supposed he could put up with the couch for another night. He turned on his side and felt his eyes getting heavier and heavier as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **Thanks for the love and for reading! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

I awoke the next day with a dull throbbing pain in the back of my head. God damn, what did I even drink last night? I even felt super disgusting, hoping I hadn't puked in front of Danse or anything. Where was he anyways?

I looked over my shoulder towards the couch, expecting to see his sleeping form. But he wasn't there.

I also then realized that it was my turn to get the couch too, whoops. Shit, I was definitely going to have to make it up to Danse later, the poor guy already has a lot of issues sleeping already. He never mentioned it to me, but he didn't really have to, I could just tell.

I slipped out of the bed, stretching my muscles as I went. Boy, did I really feel shitty. And I needed a bath or something. Since Danse wasn't there, I didn't really care about wearing clothes to the bathroom. I peeled the dirty vault suit off my body (god, I really should clean that later today) and made my way to the bath.

Honestly, you don't _really_ appreciate a hot bath until you've gone a couple days without one. Dirt gets everywhere and just ends up in all the wrong places, shit I cringe just thinking about it.

Anyways, I lowered myself into the warm water and lay my head back. It felt so, _so_ good. Sometimes it even helps you forget how shitty everything really is. I started to think about last night, god I hoped I hadn't talked too much. That was a problem I tended to have when I drink, I just keep talking and talking and...I can just go on forever. Nate liked to remind me of such things.

Speaking of Nate...I lowered my head thinking back to him. I couldn't deny that I missed him, but there was still that small of part that was never able to get over what he did to me. What was so wrong with me? Another thing, why did I even bring it up with Danse? I was beginning to worry that maybe I shared too much, maybe I overstepped my boundaries with him. I didn't want him to pity me more than he probably already does. And I definitely don't want him to think I was unstable or any crap like that.

I sighed and shook my head, focus on the bath, Isabelle. It'll make you relax. I turned on my radio on my pip boy to take my mind off things, switching it to Diamond City Radio. This station always played my favorite songs.

" _Don't they know, it's the end of the world, it ended when I lost your love…"_

Gee, what a fitting fucking song. I chuckled a little bit to myself and hummed along. It was my favorite song but it didn't always put me in a better mood. It brought back way too many memories, and not even of just Nate.

I started to wash my arms and relax myself more, I had to enjoy my bath while it lasted, and for as long as I could before Danse would return from wherever he was.

" _Don't they know, it's the end of the world, it ended when you said goodbye…"_

I really need another drink.

* * *

Isabelle continued to bathe herself before realizing that she'd forgotten...well all her clean clothes. In her rush to get to the bathtub, she left everything still packed in her bag. Shit, shit shit, she thought to herself and decided to weigh her options. She could press her luck and run out and just grab her things, but there was the risk that Danse would somehow barge in at that precise time (that was something he tended to do) and well...see _everything_. Or she could just wait...but what could would that do?

Turned out, it didn't really matter. Before she could even make a decision, Danse returned from wherever the fuck he'd been. Isabelle froze as she heard the door open, she was used to the slight (well slight is an understatement) lack of privacy considering they shared a room but this was a whole different story. "Isabelle, where are you?" He called out, as she heard him walking towards the bathroom.

"Uh...in here, but wa-" She tried to warn him, but he stepped in before she could finish. Damn, had he not heard of the concept of knocking? Or giving better warning? Anything but bursting in?

Isabelle quickly covered her chest by hugging her knees, hoping he hadn't seen too much. Meanwhile, Danse stood in the doorway, taken aback and having a huge "deer in headlights" look.

"Well, fuck, you could have said something, Danse!" She yelled, slightly annoyed. But now at least this meant he could bring her her things.

Danse began to stutter, "I- I- uh, shit. Sorry, I didn't mean to." He began to step back and cover his eyes innocently, and she couldn't help but let out a giggle.

"Relax...just, uh," Danse was already halfway out the doorway, trying to hide his blush from her, "Wait! Can you bring me a towel anyways? I forgot it…"

He cleared his throat and poked his head back in, absentmindedly, "Uh...sure." Danse merely agreed to get out of there faster, considering how beyond embarrassed he was. He was hoping he wasn't too red from seeing his subordinate half (well mostly) naked.

Once he returned, he stood in the doorway, contemplating the best way to go about this. "Hey Danse!" She called out, "You gonna get my things or just stand there? I can tell you're there…" she added, jokingly. Hell, she was just as embarrassed as him, but it didn't matter considering he already saw what he saw.

"Yeah, uh, should I just close my eyes?" He felt himself getting red again.

She rolled her eyes and didn't bother crossing her arms this time, exposing her chest to him, "Just give me my things please."

He immediately turned his head to the side to avoid looking, though he couldn't deny wanting to get another peek. _Don't even think about it_ , he thought to himself, _she's your subordinate and a soldier._

Once he heard her mumble a quick thanks, he quickly scurried out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind him. He could feel his heart beating in his ears, why the fuck was he so nervous? His time in the Brotherhood proved that you really didn't have much privacy, and he'd seen plenty of brothers and sisters half naked at one point or another, but he never thought anything of it. For some reason, this was different for him. He had to admit he did think about seeing her body once or twice before, but...he immediately pushed those thoughts away. It would be incredibly unprofessional of him to continue thinking like that.

Danse sat at the edge of the bed and sighed, _damn this woman_ , he thought to himself. He hoped that this could be quickly forgotten, and rubbed the his stubble as he continued to think.

Isabelle came out of the bathroom, fully dressed this time, to which Danse was only slightly grateful for. She acted as if nothing happened, and to her, nothing _did_ happen. So what if he saw her? There was no such thing as privacy in the Brotherhood anyways.

He stood up before her and began talking before she could say anything, "I wanted to apologize for intruding earlier...I hope you know that wasn't my intention, Isabelle." He looked away shamefully, not only for seeing her but for still imagining what it would be like to feel her all over, or to kiss her on her full lips.

She snorted a small laugh and waved off his apology, "That? Don't worry about it, Danse. It was just an accident, besides, think of it as a free show." She playfully winked, only to see a blush creep up his cheeks and up his face.

Danse avoided eye contact again and awkwardly cleared his throat, what did she mean by that? Did she know what he was thinking about? That wasn't possible, it couldn't be. Danse knew he was pretty good at hiding his emotions and what he was thinking about, there was no way she could see through him _that_ easily. "That was not my intention, initiate," he straightened up and sharpened his tone, "I did not do that on purpose."

"Whoa, Danse, relax. I was just teasing you a little," she felt bad about teasing him about it, she didn't know he would take it so personally. "But really, it's fine. It was an accident, and accidents happen. That's how I was born!" She added at the end, hoping to make him smile. It was a rare sight, but she had to admit she enjoyed seeing him let go of the whole soldier thing for a moment and just smile.

Danse gave a small laugh but quickly returned to his "superior officer mode", as Isabelle would often call it. "I'm glad you forgive me." He sat back down on the bed, while she made herself comfortable on the couch, "So what are the plans today, soldier?"

She shrugged, "I'm not so sure yet...I was probably going to head over to see Nick and check if there's any new leads or developments. There has to be at this point, I can't imagine he's that busy…" she trailed off, wondering if today would be the day she would get closer to finding Shaun.

Danse remained suspicious of the synth, and a week earlier he probably wouldn't have wanted her to visit him alone, but he could tell the man - it - was genuine and would offer as much help as possible. "Just be safe, and report any findings back to me."

Isabelle stood up and slung her bag around her shoulder to head for the door, "Of course, Danse. I'll be back in a couple hours and will let you know the details." He nodded in response, and hoped she would find the answers she was looking for.

Before she closed the door behind her, Isabelle looked over her shoulder without turning to face Danse, "Danse?"

He looked up again, "Yeah?"

"Next time you want a peek, just ask." She smiled to herself, knowing how easily she made the Paladin blush and closed the door behind her before he could even respond.

What she didn't know was that his pants tightened slightly at the thought of seeing her like that again. But Danse had to, yet again, shake away those thoughts. _Damn this woman_ , he thought to himself again.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I'm not super happy with this chapter because it's hard to convey what Isabelle is feeling sometimes, but I hope you guys like reading this! Please let me know what you think :)**

It was the answer she was looking for, but not the one she hoped: the Institute was behind Shaun's kidnapping. She felt herself wanting to just collapse on the floor and cry and scream, but that wouldn't have gotten her anywhere.

Instead, she felt her face reddening up as more questions came to mind, why? What would they want with a baby boy? How the _hell_ could she even get to the Institute?

Nick, the synth, gave her a good lead to work with though, and she was very much grateful for that. The pair were led to Kellogg's home in Diamond City, the man who shot Nate and took Shaun. With a little bit of persuasion, Isabelle was able to get the key she needed for them to investigate further...

Only to realize, Kellogg was long gone and the trail had gone cold. There weren't many things to really help them get any further, aside from burnt cigarettes and other junk that was left roaming around. They had searched and searched for hours, but nothing useful was there. The synth gave his sympathies, but he promised he wouldn't stop investigating until she found Shaun. They both agreed that it was getting late now, and that it would make more sense to resume the next day.

He offered to take her out for a couple drinks to ease her mind, Nick knew how much pain the woman was going through. "Listen, Isabelle, how about me and you go get a couple drinks?"

She eyed him curiously, "You...you can drink?"

Nick let out a soft chuckle, "Does motor oil count?"

Isabelle returned a small smile, "Of course it does…" she gave the room one last look before deciding to exit the small house, "And Nick, I wanted to thank you - for everything. You've been the only who's gotten me this far, and I just don't know what I would do if I didn't find you."

"Hey, doll, it's the least I could do after you saved my gears back in that vault." He gave her a reassuring smile, "Now come on, it's been a long day and you look like you could use a drink."

Isabelle sighed and ran her fingers through her thick, dark hair, which was now starting to fall past her shoulders, "That I do, Nick...that I do." The two locked the door behind them and headed to the nearest bar, and Isabelle hoped there would be something new for her the next day. She also wondered what Danse would do in this situation, but that thought quickly disappeared as she sat down with Nick for her first (and certainly not last) drink.

* * *

Danse was woken up when he heard a stumbling Isabelle crash on the couch he'd fallen asleep on. She shrieked when she felt the hard lump that cushioned her fall, "Shit, sorry bud," she hastily slurred out.

He grunted in response, how long had he been asleep anyways? It didn't matter anyways, he knew it'd been more than a couple hours since she'd left to see the synth. And it had to have been late considering she was clearly drunk, or at least he'd hoped it was late.

She drunkenly pushed herself off the couch, but Danse grabbed her quickly to steady her, "How much have you had to drink?" He sounded stern, but he didn't mean to. He loosened his grip slightly when he realized she could balance herself for the most part.

"I dunno...maybe more than I sh-should've," she giggled as she sloppily plopped down on the bed, "Buttttt to be fair, I just reeeally fuggin' needed it, with all this shit goin' on, yanno?" She pulled her legs on the bed and lay down as she felt the room beginning to spin. Maybe she did have a little too much to drink, but she wanted to take anything that could temporarily numb the pain of not having Shaun in her arms.

Danse wasn't sure if it would be even worth it to ask her what happened with the synth, she seemed like she could barely hold a conversation at the time. He figured it would be better to just bring it up in the morning, but he couldn't tell who he was more annoyed with: her for drinking this much or the synth for letting her do it in the first place. But there was something else he wanted to know, why had she been drinking so much lately? Although he didn't know her for very long, he's come to know her pretty well, and she didn't seem to be much of a drinker at all. He didn't care for a drink or two once in awhile, but it seemed that it was the same thing most nights, where she would often disappear for an hour and come back wasted.

Would it even be appropriate to talk about now? Or just wait until she sobered up in the morning?

He heard her choke back a sniffle and then roll on her side, he stood up to get closer to the bed but wanted to keep his distance. Sometimes, like the other night, she would open up about herself, but other times she wanted to just be left alone. It was kind of hard to tell which mood she was in sometimes.

He thought carefully before asking her, "Isabelle," he began softly, "Did you want to talk or anything?"

She didn't roll to her other side to face him, "Uhhhh...no not reaally, there's nothing to talk about..." then she wiped her eye with the back of her hand before sitting up, "B-but you were right. It was the fuggin' Institute," she hiccuped, "I swear to god I'll ugh, I'll fuggin' kill _all_ of them."

Isabelle pushed herself off the bed, only to stumble and barely catch herself on the bedpost. Danse remained seated on the couch, watching her as she dug through her bag to reach for something, but it was hard to see. He was about to ask her what or where she was going, but she cut him off before he even could, "Don't follow me, I'm just uhh gonna go take a bath."

That seemed a little out of place, but he didn't want to push it anymore than he already might have. Danse sensed it would be better to just wait until she'd sober up. But he couldn't shake off the feeling of there being more to the story that she just wasn't telling him about. At what point does he push for more information? Would it make sense to go to the synth himself and find out what happened?

He weighed his decisions for a couple moments before just deciding that that would be the most appropriate response, since Isabelle had already locked herself in the bathroom. She'd been eerily quiet this whole time, so he wanted to check on her before heading out.

He quietly took small steps towards the bathroom door, pausing in between to try to listen for anything. It was very quiet, did she pass out? Or was she just wanting to get away from him and be alone? He lightly knocked on the door, no response. She must not have heard him, but if that were the case, he would hear the radio from her Pip Boy or something along those lines.

Danse knocked one more time, and yet there wasn't a response again. He began to pace the room a little bit, trying to think of _why_ she would be ignoring him like this. This was so unlike Isabelle, sure she would get piss faced drunk occasionally but she would just come back and sleep, not lock herself away like she was doing now. Danse pounded harder on the door this time.

Still, no response. Nothing on the other end.

He decided, _fuck it_ and kicked the door open, since he could just fix it some other time.

When he finally got the door open, he let out a small gasp before rushing to her side. Isabelle was slumped against the bathtub, her head rolled to the side and completely out cold. Not only that, but there was a small inhaler in her palm, and Danse instantly recognized it: jet. How could he have not seen this? What kind of superior officer lets their soldiers take chems?

Danse rushed to kneel beside her, and shook her gently, but she remained unresponsive. "Come on, wake up, Isabelle," he shook her again, this time harder but she just wouldn't wake up. He cupped her face in his hands and lightly slapped her cheek to get some sort of response, getting more angry with her, but especially himself. He slapped her again, this time harder, and Isabelle's eyelids began to flutter but she was still limp, "God damn it! Come on, wake up!" He shouted this time and he eyes slowly opened as she came to.

She coughed as she tried to push herself away from him, but was too weak to do so. Isabelle was out of breath and confused, it wasn't her first time using Jet but it was the first time she had a trip like that. Which was actually going pretty great until she felt Danse trying to slap her awake. Jet wasn't her favorite, but it would do when she couldn't get her hands on some Daddy-O or Day Tripper.

"What the hell is this, initiate?" He angrily spat as he waved the inhaler in her face. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. How could he sit by and let her waste her potential with this shit? How could she have hidden this from him?

"Wha…" she felt herself going in and out of consciousness again, "I dunno…I just want to get up."

He sighed and rubbed his temples, _god damn it_ , he thought to himself. How could she do this to herself? "Here," he began, voice still firm, "Let me help you up." He slung her arm around his shoulder and gently pulled her up. It wasn't like she was heavy or anything, but her being half awake and the other half still high made her complete dead weight.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Danse…." she quietly mumbled to herself as he walked her to the bed. Her voice lowered, "I'm sorry for letting you down…" But it didn't seem like he heard it. All he cared about at the moment was getting her to bed and sober. He could deal with this in the morning. In the meantime, he'd have to talk to the synth and figure out the best way to get her off the chems, which depended entirely on how long she'd been taking them for.

Danse carefully lowered her onto the bed before returning to the couch. When he sat down, he didn't say anything to her, he just held his head in his hands, trying to think of where to even begin. "How...how long have you been doing Jet?" He felt himself becoming angry, but he tried to sound calm, "Don't you know that shit can kill you? You don't need that!"

"I know, I know…" she shook her head in response, she was so damn embarrassed he had to find her like that. Isabelle was always careful with her chem use from well, before the war, but she'd only taken Jet maybe a handful of times so she wasn't too used to it yet. "I don't even like Jet, but it was all I had, you know?" She tried to reason with him, but immediately regret it.

"It was all you had? You mean you've been doing other chems too?!" His voice began to rise, it was something he couldn't help. It was hard for him to stand by and see someone like her just throw her life away like this.

Isabelle avoided eye contact, "Damn it, I just...don't think you would understand." She slowly said aloud, it was hard for her to form coherent thoughts while coming down from the high. Rubbing her temples, she propped herself up on her elbows so that she could see Danse. Why couldn't he have interrupted her after she was done?

"You're damn right I don't." His voice softened again as he was trying to think of the best way to get through to her. He knew chem addicts back when he traded in Rivet City, he knew how hard it was to get through to them and how getting angry with them only made it worse. "Look, I know I sound well...angry, but it's because I don't want to see you ruin your body with that crap. A good soldier doesn't need to use chems."

"I don't care about being a good soldier!" She retorted, annoyed from the fact that the Brotherhood seemed to be all he cared about. "I just...sometimes I need a little kick to get me through the day. It's not like I do it everyday or anything…" she trailed off as she thought back to the other times she snuck off to get high, usually it was Day Tripper because it usually just made her a little happier than usual, so the effects weren't as noticeable as say, Jet or Psycho.

"How long have you been doing the chems?" He asked bluntly. If he was going to help her off the chems, he had to know how long she'd been using them for.

"Does it matter, Danse? It's not hurting anybody."

 _It's hurting me_ , he thought to himself but he didn't say it aloud. The sight of seeing her slumped over and unresponsive was a sight he _never_ wanted to see again. He felt a little fortunate that he kicked the door down when he did. Danse couldn't even, nor did he want to, imagine what would have happened if he didn't check on her. Or worse, if she never even came back to the room. It frightened him to think about all the possibilities, all the what ifs.

He didn't respond, he just sighed and lay down on the couch, rubbing his stubble.

Isabelle was the first to break the silence, "I was trying to stop, but today was just hard, alright? And I'm...well I'm still trying to stop. Let's just say it's better now than it was 200 years ago…"

He felt himself become upset again and he sat up to face her, "I found you slumped over, completely unresponsive! I tried shaking you to wake you up, which didn't work. I slapped you a couple times, and then you finally woke up! How could it be worse than that?!" Danse hated that he was yelling at this point, but his patience was slowly growing thin. Any other soldier, he would have written them up, as well as had them detoxed immediately. But with her, it was different, he _wanted_ to help her get better.

Her eyes immediately fell to the floor, "I'm sorry you had to see that, you shouldn't have." She sighed and rubbed her temples again, which were aching from the come down. "Just believe me when I say it was worse before."

There was silence again as she waited for him to respond, "Just don't hide any of this from me anymore." He demanded, but in a softer voice again.

"I won't, Danse. I'm sorry again." Isabelle felt ashamed, why did he have to babysit her like this? Why couldn't she just handle her problems like a grown adult? "I'm going to try to stop."

"Don't ever make me find you like that again. Alright?"

"I won't - I promise." Isabelle was telling the truth, because even though he didn't say seeing her like that hurt him, she could tell it did. And that was the last thing she wanted to do.


End file.
